Get Your Kids to Help Clean

A well-known quote says, “Cleaning with kids in the house is like brushing your teeth while eating Oreos.” – Unknown. It doesn’t have to be this way. If you’ve ever struggled to get your kids to help clean, we want to share some tips that will get your children to pitch in without a fight.

Remove the Concept That Cleaning Is a Punishment

We’ve all been there at one time or another when our parents used extra chores as a punishment, when we did something wrong, leading to kids hating to clean even more. Rather than making them feel as though cleaning is a chore or a punishment, try showing them that by getting things done around the house, you can go and have fun afterward. Plus, we recommend not having a frustrated tone when addressing chores because this leads to kids being grumpy right back. Don’t get us wrong. We understand that everyone has a bad day, and we don’t handle everything right, so that’s okay. Still, we’re just giving a generalized tip most of the time.

Strategies To Encourage Children

Give Some Options

Having the ability to choose the chores they want to do can lead kids to feel like they have a choice. For example, with little kids, you can say, “Would you like to clean up your blocks or put away your clothes?” By doing this, your child feels more in control of what they’re doing, and they feel a part of the process.

Keep It Realistic

If there’s a lot to do around the house, it can feel overwhelming to adults, especially kids. Set realistic expectations of what will happen that day and go from there. If you can get more in that day, great, but if not, that’s okay too. Everyone will feel a bit accomplished rather than feeling like they fell short.

Make It a Game

Kids love games. Turning “chore time” into “fun time” can help the tasks get done more quickly. For example, you can make it a race. Set a timer and see who can get the chores done first. Of course, you want to make it clear that it gets done correctly to win, but other than that, let your kids compete. An activity like this can help your kids effectively clean because they want to be the winner.

Factor Clean-Up Time into Play Dates

Having a play date can be exciting but can also leave your house a mess. To help prevent this, let them know you expect somebody to clean their play areas afterward. Twenty minutes before their friend leaves, let them know it’s time to clean up. You can give them the option to wait till their friend leaves or do it then and have their friend help. More often than not, they will want to do it with their friend because cleaning with someone else can make time faster and more fun.

Diamond Maids Professional House Cleaning Services

When you have children, keeping your home clean and neat can often feel overwhelming, even with their little helping hands. Contact Diamond Maids to help ease the burden.